Life After Love, Love After Death
by water.pearls
Summary: [HIATUS]Harry love Hermione... and Ron does too. How will they work this conflict out?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Harry awoke from his sleep drowsily; he looked at his clock and barely managed to see the red block letters, 5:00 a.m. One more hour before one of the Dursleys (namely, dear Aunt Petunia) come and bang on his door to interrupt his 'peaceful' sleep.

How he wished he was at the Burrow, where there are late mornings, wonderful meals (thanks to Mrs. Weasley and her magic), and Quidditch. Especially Quidditch; he missed Quidditch, every time he's on the pitch it feels like a dream, that it's the only time he could relax and just feel the wind against his face. Every time Harry spot the tiny golden Snitch (a bewitched walnut painted gold in this case for there are certain limits to the Weasleys' money…), flitting around, he dives and feels the tenseness, the exhilaration, the swooping sensation, and the excitement of the crowd while they cheer and whoop for him (Harry!). The crowd is focused on him, watching his every move, their breath held, waiting to see what happens…

He looked back at his clock (5:29), and decided to get his last half an hour of blissful sleep before his monster of an aunt comes and wakes him up. His eyelids were heavy, and sleep got the better of him. In a moment, he was dozing once more.

* * *

_BANG BANG BANG BANG_

Harry's poor, already-crumbling door suffered the impact of Aunt Petunia's (deadly) broomstick. He pushed himself up groggily.

"Shit," Harry muttered, "and I was just getting some sleep."

"WAKE UP AND COOK BREAKFAST!" came Aunt Petunia's shrill voice through the door. "I EXPECT YOU TO BE READY and down here in 20 seconds or else!!!"

Harry, who was used to threats like this coming from his aunts mouth, got up and dressed quickly. "POTTER!!!!! YOU

GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!!!" Uncle Vernon yelled upstairs.

Harry sighed and hurried down the stairs to find his red-faced uncle looking at a small owl that had apparently just flown straight through the open window and landed on top of the kitchen counter (the cause of his unnecessary fury, as he hadn't had a good first impression of the owls since they had flooded his house with 'those Hogwash letters').

"I SWEAR IF I SEE ONE OF THOSE RUDDY OWLS FLY IN THIS HOUSE AGAIN, I WILL WRING THEIR BLOODY NECKS!"

Harry stared at Uncle Vernon's large, beefy face.

"Sorry, it won't ever happen again, sir," Harry said, holding back his tendency to roll his eyes.

Even if he knew full well that it wasn't his fault that the owl flew in, he was going to try to be nice this time and not start and argument. He then walked over to the small, excited owl fluttering about (which he recognized as Ron's owl, Pig) and looking pleased with himself for sending the letter. After he had calmed the owl down, he took the letter from its beak, with the Dursleys watching his every move.

Uncle Vernon broke the silence and said, "You'd better get that damned owl out of this house or-"

Harry cut Uncle Vernon off: "I'll bring it upstairs."

He started up the stairs with Pig in one hand and the letter clutched in the other. He looked back over his shoulder just in time to notice Aunt Petunia's new broom, there was something familiar about it. It had a smooth handle, and it was carved perfectly, he didn't know that Aunt Petunia bought a new broom, the Dursleys were usually too stingy to buy anything unless it was absolutely needed, or a present for their son Dudley. But he took a closer look and saw, at the end of the handle were shiny gold letters:

_Firebolt_

Aunt Petunia followed his gaze and saw him looking at the Firebolt.

"That's right, and if you dare do anything mischievous, I'll break your precious broomstick in HALF!" she sneered.

"Give it back," Harry said quietly, although he knew that she wouldn't.

"Why should I? You've been a bad boy and you need punishing, I'll give it back when you're behaving like the angel Dudley is, right Duddykins?"

Aunt Petunia looked over at the fat blond boy who was lying lazily on the couch watching TV. Dudley merely grunted at his mother and went back to watching his all-time favorite show, "Ninja Turtles".

Harry forced himself to turn away from them and resume his walk up the stairs. He clenched his fists until they were white. _That bitch will pay when I'm old enough to use my wand outside Hogwarts,_ Harry thought menacingly. But he managed to control himself, and walk shakily up the rest of the stairs.

He went to his room and closed the door tightly. Then he put Pig in Hedwig's empty cage. He ripped open the letter and started reading the small, neat handwriting that had to be Hermione's.

_Dear Harry,_

_Hello! I hope you're having a wonderful summer, how's your aunt and uncle?_

And here, Ron added (with his messy and big handwriting) something.

_I really hope those muggles are treating you right, mate, I look forward to seeing you! By the way, do you know that Hermione stoped writing to Vikt_

Something was scribbled out here. He pictured Hermione jamming her elbow into Ron's stomach to keep him from writing something… Harry grinned, but he knew, Ron had wrote enough to get the message across. Hermione had stopped writing to Viktor Krum it seems, _well, there's always an end to everything_, Harry thought to himself. He read on; Ron's messy scrawl was replaced by Hermione's tiny writing.

_Oh, ignore that Harry. So we were wondering if your aunt and uncle could maybe send you to London? We can maybe meet at Diagon Alley. Well, send us a reply as soon as you can._

_Your Friends,_

_Hermione and Ron_

Harry quickly grabbed a quill and scribbled a reply on the parchment.

_Fine with me._

He gave it back to Pig and sent it off on its way. Of course, he still had to talk to the Dursleys about this and he didn't want to go back down there, especially since his uncle just yelled at him. But he had no other way to get to London, and the Dursleys should be glad that he's leaving for half the summer. Besides, Aunt Petunia still had his broomstick and he needed to do something to get it back…

Later, Harry had finally gathered up the courage to go down and tell the Dursleys. He would really rather go outside and meander around, looking at shrubs and bushes than go and confront the Dursleys about this, but he knew he had no choice. He couldn't afford losing to the Slytherin Quidditch team on one of those stupid Cleansweeps. He got as far as the 2nd step down the stairs when Uncle Vernon looked up from his newspaper.

"Whaddaya want boy?" Uncle Vernon growled.

"Um, my friends were wondering if I could meet them in London next week and I was wondering if you could send me there…"

Harry could tell that Uncle Vernon wanted him to leave as soon as possible, but he didn't want to send Harry to London.

"And I also need my broomstick back for school," Harry said.

"Alright, but you have to ask your aunt for the broomstick, she's the one who has the ruddy broomstick."

"Ok."

Harry left and walked into the garden where Aunt Petunia was admiring her flowers. She looked up as he walked towards her.

"What do you want now???" Aunt Petunia said in an exasperated voice, making it sound as if Harry had been bothering her the whole morning.

"Well, I'm leaving for London in a week to meet my friends, but I need my broomstick back for school."

"Well, you can leave, but the broomstick stays."

"But-"

"No," Aunt Petunia said firmly, "I-I've already burned it!!!"

"Give it back, NOW."

"NO. Don't you dare use that voice with me- interrupt me one more time, boy!!!- and you're not going to get broomstick back if I can help it!"

And she could help quite a lot, but Harry was starting to get impatient, and he demanded that she show him where the broomstick was or he'd hex her.

"You wouldn't dare!!" Aunt Petunia laughed her regular I-don't-think-so laugh. But she needn't argue anymore, for Uncle Vernon had walked outside just in time to hear Harry's threat. He opened his mouth to say something in rage (his face already turning into a nasty shade of barf), but Harry had already rushed past him and ran upstairs, packing everything within 2 minutes. With a wand in hand, he quickly rushed down the stairs again to find his uncle blocking the sink cabinet. His uncle eyed his wand, but didn't budge.

"You're not getting that ruddy broomstick!!!" Uncle Vernon yelled, revealing the location of the broomstick.

"Move aside," Harry said, breathing heavily.

"No! You DARE do that to your aunt?!?!?! I'm not sending you anywhere! You're staying in your room-"

Harry laughed quietly.

"You really think I'm staying here? Step aside and no one gets hurt," Harry said, this time more fiercely.

It wasn't like Harry to do this, but he couldn't bear the thought of staying in this house one more minute. He quickly opened his mouth to say "Stupefy!" but no words came out. He knew he would be in trouble for casting a spell outside school, so he hesitated, and then decided against it.

_So… Why not solve this the easy way?_ He grinned (despite the current situation he was in), and flung his heavy suitcase at the cabinet where his uncle was standing (how could they possibly hide his precious broomstick in a _sink cabinet?_). His uncle yelped and leaped aside a fraction of a second before the suitcase smashed into the cabinet, full force. The cabinet door was smashed into several pieces, (the water tube in the cabinet breaking in the process), and Harry ducked under the water to grab his broomstick from under the small, wood splinters.

Harry took his suitcase and rushed out the open door. His heart was pounding against his chest and his back ached from running with his suitcase full of magical spellbooks, ingredients, and (of course), his robes, but he kept running and didn't look back until he was out of Privet Drive. Harry couldn't believe he had just run away… AGAIN. He ran away a couple times before, but now that tempers are running higher than usual, he got into fights with Uncle Vernon more often than ever before.

He was tiring quickly from the run, so he sat down on the middle of the road, too tired to walk to the sidewalk. He held his broomstick tight in one hand, and suddenly, an idea sparked in his mind. He could tie the suitcase and the birdcage to the broomstick and ride to London, but there were flaws to the plan. First of all, it was pretty dangerous, (_how the hell am I going to ride all the way to London with a 50-pound suitcase and a birdcage that takes up half as much space as the bird???_) many people could possibly see a teenage boy riding a broomstick like a witch with a huge suitcase and an empty birdcage tied to it… Second, he didn't really know where London was, he never really got there by broomstick. He sighed and sat back down on the sidewalk, hitting himself for being so stupid and dwelling on the idea for even a split second.

But… _Speaking of an empty birdcage… WHERE'S HEDWIG?! Would she know that I went to London? What would the Dursleys do if she showed up in my room with a rat…? _Harry thought frantically, he couldn't go back to the Dursleys they'd just about slit his throat if he showed his face anytime between now and next year. And he wasn't sure if Ron and Hermione had Hedwig, because Hedwig sometimes hung out with them for a couple days. He knew he had no choice but to go on without the snowy owl, he just had to hope that Hedwig would find him, or she would be with Ron and Hermione. He didn't feel comfortable moving on without Hedwig, but he couldn't hang around here forever. He had one week to get to London. Now he had to figure out HOW to get there…

* * *

By the time Harry had awoken, night had fallen, he had accidentally gone to sleep while thinking about how to get to London, but he WAS exhausted from his recent incident involving the Dursleys… It wasn't a problem, Harry muttered, "_Lumos_." And the tip of his wand glowed yellow. He stuck his wand out and looked around him. He was still there in the middle of the street. And it was surprising that nobody hit him with a car, they must have gone around them because they didn't want anything to do with a street boy. Then, he sat back down, forgetting that he was still in the middle of the street, feeling extremely tired…

* * *

"Almost hit the poor guy!" 

"Right smack dab in the middle of the street, but luckily, we stopped just in time."

Harry woke up to find that he was laying in a nice soft bed with clean white sheets. He opened his eyes and saw Stan, the driver of the Knight Bus and a bunch of others crowded around him.

"He's awake! 'Arry! Is that choo? Long time since we last met, eh? So err… What choo doin' in the middle of the street sleeping? We nearly hit choo!" Stan exclaimed.

"Hey Stan! Ummm… How'd you get here?" Harry asked, he didn't remember doing anything to summon the Knight Bus.

"Choo stuck out your wand dincha?"

"Oh yeah…" Harry hadn't realized that when he was sticking out his wand with a light to see around him, he was really flagging down the Knight Bus.  
He stood up unsteadily and gave Stan 11 sickles. Stan hesitated, then handed it back.

"No, use it for something else!" Stan said to Harry and smiled.

"No, really, it's alright."

But Stan refused the money, and shoved it back into Harry's hands, so he didn't have a choice, other than to take the money. Harry told him, "London."

_BANG_

In a second, they were rolling along through a peaceful, serene neighborhood then

_BANG_

Next thing he knew, they were bumping along a rocky road-

_BANG_

Once again, Harry was thrown into his bed as the Knight Bus lurched into a whole new town. (The familiar feeling of uneasiness filled his stomach as the eggs he had for breakfast threatened to force their way back up through his throat.)

He remembered the Knight Bus. It had been some 4 years since he took it last, but he still remembered it (and the feeling that went with it). He allowed himself a grin as memories of Aunt Marge's dress almost bursting off her inflating body flooded his mind.

Within 15 minutes, they had arrived at London. Harry awkwardly got off the bus and walked to the Leaky Cauldron where the secret entrance to Diagon Alley was. He managed to walk past the people without them noticing the "famous Harry Potter", (miraculously) by keeping his head low. He started counting the familiar bricks on the solid wall and after tapping the wall with his wand, he stepped back and the bricks moved aside to reveal a magical place that still awed many every year, a place bustling with activity: Diagon Alley.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Hermione sighed, exasperated. This was the fourth time she had caught Ron staring at her.

"Ronald Weasley," she demanded, sounding very much like his own mother, "Why have you been staring at my face for the past five minutes??? If there's something on or wrong with my face, just say it."

"Oh, uhhh… Nothing," Ron turned away quickly.

She rolled her eyes and went back to eating breakfast. For the past two weeks, Ron had been like this, he was withdrawn and quiet when around her. Not like the fun and… funny Ron she knew. Quite frankly, she was beginning to think that he was dull and boring. Nowadays she'd rather be gossiping with Ron's sister, Ginny, than be around Ron himself, who would be staring at her like she'd suddenly grown a second head.

When Hermione caught him the fifth time, she had had enough. She stood up and told Mrs. Weasley that she wasn't hungry, then went to the bedroom that she shared with Ginny. She flipped open a book, then started munching on some crackers.

About half an hour later, the clattering of dishes could be heard downstairs, signaling the end of breakfast. There was a knock on the door, and Ginny entered the room.

"Hey, Hermione, what's up with you today? You seem a bit… down," Ginny sat down next to Hermione on the bed.

"It's nothing… It's just… I dunno. I thought you'd notice that Ron was the one being weird," Hermione replied.

"What are you talking about? He's been his normal, cheery, annoying self," Ginny said, "Now come down and have the rest of your breakfast."

Hermione frowned. That was weird.

"Maybe it's just me that's being weird… I'd better leave soon… do some quiet reading before I start buying things for the new school year."

"Are you joking? You're staying here with us. Don't allow Ron's pigheadedness get to you."

Hermione laughed. Ginny was a funny friend, and she was glad that they caught on right away when they met.

"No, I don't think it's Ron… Maybe I just need to spend some time alone. I'm going to start packing up. I think I'd better spend the rest of the summer in the Leaky Cauldron…"

And so she did. The very next morning, she gave hugs and kisses to everyone (Ron seemed to have mysteriously disappeared at that point…) and said goodbye, she wouldn't hear of Mrs. Weasley's complaints.

"Do stay a bit longer won't you, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked for about the sixth time. Her kind face showed a bit of worry.

"No, no, I'm fine, Mrs. Weasley, really, I just need some time alone," Hermione smiled at her and gave her another big hug, "Well, I'll be seeing you later!!! Bye!"

And, so, she departed for Diagon Alley, and a handful of Floo Powder later, she was standing in the ashes of the Leaky Cauldron fireplace.

It looked just like the first time she had walked in there, a bit dirty, a bit shabby… But nevertheless, it had a warm and inviting air. She told the bartender that she needed a room, and as soon as she was settled, she set off to the magical gateway from the small pub to Diagon Alley.

Hermione walked through the magnificent sights; it wasn't as crowded as usual because the Hogwarts supply letters hadn't been sent out yet, but it was still the same Diagon Alley. She strolled along the street, looking at the fascinating new items in the displays. Hermione glimpsed the new and improved self-correcting ink and sighed, they just keep coming up with new ways to harass the teachers…

But before she could buy anything, she paid a visit to Gringotts, the wizard (_and witch_,she added under her breath) bank to withdraw some gold. Just as she walked in, she saw a familiar face among the sea of people in Gringotts. Her breath caught, it was Harry. She couldn't seem to stop thinking about seeing him this summer…

Hermione had been crushing on Harry ever since she saw those gorgeous green eyes at Platform 9¾. Luckily, she had managed to cover all this time… But she was only in her 1st year, now, it was different. His eyes… They were breathtaking. They were the one thing that she noticed first. Those beautiful eyes behind his long lashes… She sighed.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, pretending to be shocked to find him, not letting on that she had been thinking about him just before.

"Hermione?!" Harry, who was genuinely shocked, turned around.

"What are you doing here? I thought you weren't due until, oh… What happened? You're a mess!"

"You're not too clean yourself," Harry grinned, looking at her dirty clothes.

Hermione looked down and sighed. She hadn't had the patience to shower right when she got to the pub.

"Yeah, but I was using Floo Powder," she said defiantly.

"Yeah, well I-" Harry looked down.

"What? What's the matter?" Hermione questioned him, curious as to what he was going to say.

"Well… You know that I'm not supposed to be here, do you?"

"Harry, what…?" Hermione was confused, but then, comprehension dawned on her face, "Oh, you did _not!_"

"Yes, I _did,_" Harry grinned at the look of horror on Hermione's face.

Harry told Hermione the rest of the little argument he had with the Dursleys and she looked into his eyes, a little surprised that he should run away once more.

"So umm… Where are you staying?" Harry finally asked Hermione.

"Well, at the Leaky Caldron, where did you think? Aren't you staying there too?"

"Haha, yeah…"

Hermione studied Harry's anxious face, he seemed to be waiting for something. Then she realized. She hadn't given him the proper greeting… It was the perfect excuse… She suddenly lurched forward and started hugging him tightly.

"What-?"

"Oh, Harry, I missed you! You were supposed to wait for next week to come- not that I'm saying I'm not glad that you came a week earlier. But it's just that, I don't know. I haven't seen you in a long time! And Ron's been acting like a git!"

To Hermione's surprise, he hugged her back and smiled. But she suddenly broke away, blushing, not realizing how close she and Harry were just a moment ago.

"Sorry!! It's just that… Erm. I didn't see you for a long time and I didn't give you the proper greeting!!!!!" Hermione finished lamely.

"So what did you say about Ron being a git? I thought he always was," Harry joked, not noticing the deep blush that was forming on Hermione's cheeks.

_I can't believe that I just did that!!! Oh my god… _Hermione turned away for a second, then took a deep breath. She turned back around to face Harry.

"Well… I mean, he seems to be acting sort of… weird, I mean, he hasn't been himself lately. He doesn't joke, or play around anymore. He just sits there all modest (and believe me, Ron's never like that) and just, STARES at me. For HEAVEN'S sakes!!! It was driving me nuts."

They chit-chatted for a while more, waiting for the crowd to disperse; as soon as there was an empty goblin, Harry walked up to him and gave him his vault key.

Hermione sighed as soon as Harry walked into the door leading to the deep underground passageway of Gringotts. She had let it slip. She had lost control. Hermione hoped that Harry wouldn't think she liked him; she shouldn't give him the wrong impression. But it was hard not to reveal the truth. _He's your friend! _she thought to herself, _and nothing more…_

Or so she thought…

* * *

Hermione plopped down on her bed. It had been a long day, and she needed her beauty sleep. But she decided that maybe she'd visit Harry to see how he was doing and… Maybe talk some more… And maybe while they're talking, Harry will notice how beautiful she was, and realize that she was the one, the one and only for him… (_Oh, never you mind_, she thought to herself, irritated that she had let her mind wander back to the subject, _you'll never get him, why don't you just settle with some other guy? Say, Viktor Krum?_). But he shuddered at the fact of being an "item" (for want of a better word) with that Quidditch guy… He _was _kind of cute… But for god's sake, he was a professional _Quidditch _player, and she wasn't very much into Quidditch in the first place.

But before she got up from her bed, there was an unexpected knock on her door. "Come in!" she called from her bed.

The door slowly creaked open to reveal-

"Harry!" Hermione said, smiling gently, "I wasn't expecting you."

"Hey, Hermione, how's it going?" Harry asked.

"I'm fine, so… What do you want?" Hermione replied, feeling a sudden surge of excitement, _what could he possibly want to tell me after we've just discussed everything back at Gringotts? _She wondered.

"Oh, just checking on you," Harry said quickly; he looked a bit uncomfortable.

"Oh, ok… Just don't start acting weird like Ron. The last thing I need is _two _guys acting weird around me, just Ron is enough," Hermione said, attempting to crack a joke, but apparently, Harry didn't find this very funny. He paled, and then muttered a quick goodbye as he walked out the door, leaving a very confused Hermione sitting on the bed.

She looked at her hand; she wanted Harry to come and tell her that he loved her and wanted to be with her. She willed those words to come out of his mouth… But, they never did… _But those kinds of things happen only in fairytales…_ She told herself.

* * *

There was a loud knock on Hermione's door. She awoke groggily and looked at her clock. It was 7:30, _who the hell would be knocking on my door this early in the bloody morning??? _She grumbled. Then she suddenly thought, _Harry!_ She was reminded of her conversation with him last night. She looked down at her nightgown, then gasped. "COMING!!!" she yelled, then she messily threw on a t-shirt and jeans, ran a brush quickly through her hair, and popped a mint in her mouth.

Hermione eagerly opened the door, hoping that Harry would be there to greet her, but instead she saw… Ron. Her eager face disappeared, replaced by a confused look. What business did Ron had hanging around her door at 7:30 in the morning? She broke the awkward silence:

"Oh, hi, Ron… How'd you get here? I mean..." Hermione trailed off.

"Er… Hey, ummm. I've been thinking-"

"Hold on, you still have to tell me how you got here at 7:30 in the morning," Hermione interrupted, a bit annoyed that he even thought of bothering her at that time.

"Well, I guess… Uhh… Well, I thought that since you moved here, maybe I should too… You know, so Harry doesn't have to wait for me when he comes, and maybe we could… you know…"

_Oh, goodness, Ron, YOU'RE the bloody reason I came here in the first place._

"Well, you're in luck, because I bumped into him at Gringotts yesterday. Apparently, he's run away yet again."

_And you just couldn't stay put. I would have liked to spent time with Harry ALONE._ She thought to herself.

"Uhh yeah well…" Ron muttered something incomprehensible, then looked down and blushed furiously.

"Excuse me?"

"Err. Nevermind…"

Hermione gave him a weird look and flopped back down on her bed as Ron left the room. Hermione wondered what he was going to say and why he didn't just say it. They had nothing to hide from each other… Right?

* * *

Around 12:00, there was a gentle knock on Hermione's door. _Goodness gracious, Ron, how many times do you have to bother me?!?!? Before you would look at me and turn away when I noticed… Now you're begging for my attention. Geez, I never heard of such mood swings. _Hermione opened the door with an exasperated look on her face.

"What now Ro- oh!! It's you Harry! Sorry, I thought it was Ron, he visited me earlier in the morning."

"Yeah, well, I just had something to tell you. Ummm…"

"Oh, umm, come in," Hermione turned away and blushed. _Well this is awkward…_

But before Harry could get a word out of his mouth, there was another knock on the door. _THAT would be Ron, _Hermione thought to herself grimly. She opened the door for the 3rd time today and was not disappointed. For at her doorway stood none other than Ron; Hermione invited him in and he sat down on the bed next to Harry.

"Yes, Ron? What is it that you want now," Hermione asked him. What a bizarre thing to have two boys sitting on her bed at this time of the day, even if they both _were _her best friends.

"Um…" Ron started sputtering again.

"I'm not here to hear you stutter, just spit it out!!!" Hermione snapped; her was patience withering, as she was more interested in what Harry had to say.

Ron looked hurt.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go and get something to eat, and since Harry's here, he could come too!"

"Ok, well that wasn't so bad was it? Ok, alright, I'll go, get ready guys," Hermione said reluctantly.

In a couple minutes, everyone was ready and they set out to find a place to eat.

* * *

They picked a nice and small place called "Magical Minutes". Ron sat down at the table and just ordered a small drink. Harry ordered the same. But Hermione ordered a large meal with chicken and potatoes. Hermione stared at her meal. _I'm not really hungry… _She kept stealing small glances at Harry, and sometimes, their eyes met, but when they did, she turned back to her food quickly.After Hermione finished, she looked at Harry with concern.

"Harry? Why haven't you eaten anything but a small drink? Eat something more!"

"No, I fine, I had something already."

Ron looked hurt, he was being completely left out of Hermione's sympathy; he had ordered the same thing as Harry.

Hermione noticed Ron's hurt expression. _Oh my goodness, Ron, you eat way too much, I should be glad that you just ordered a small drink. I mean, look at the rate you're growing. It's like an inch a day. _Hermione looked at him in exasperation and said, "Oh, for heaven's sake, Ron, you have 3 big meals everyday (thanks to your mother) and poor Harry here has to cope with his aunt and uncle…"

Harry stood up and loudly said, "I _didn't _come here to be pitied because I look underfed, I'll pay for us and leave, I have to organize my suitcase."

_Oh, no!!! I think I said the wrong thing… Oh god, did I just hurt Harry's feelings???? _Ron looked at Harry gratefully, but Hermione looked quite crestfallen, though luckily for her, no one noticed.

"Well, I'd best be going too. _I'll_ pay…" Ron said quite happily now.

"No I'LL do it," Harry argued.

"No really, I-"

"Both of you stop! I'LL pay the check," Hermione had joined in the fight, giving Harry a feeble, apologetic smile.

But before anybody said anything more, Harry had slammed the money onto the table and had hurried out the door.

* * *

_Ron!!!! What the hell? Why don't you just go and fuck yourself. Who the hell do you think you are? Coming up to bother me at 7-fucking-30 in the morning only to spill gibberish and waste my time._

_The time that I could spend pondering about Harry…_

Why the hell did Ron have to come back anyway? It's not like what he has to say is important.

What was more important… Than Harry's words? Maybe Harry had something important to say. She knew that she was having a very dramatic reaction and she knew it wasn't Ron's fault, but she still wanted to hear what Harry had to say. (She couldn't care less about what Ron had to say.)

Maybe what Harry had to say would have changed her life (ok, maybe not that, but something close to that), but Ron had come in and he didn't even have a chance to talk.. _Damn, Harry must not have wanted Ron to hear it. So maybe it was something that he wanted only me to hear… But now Harry probably changed his mind and decided not to tell me. Damnit Ron!! _

There was yet another knock on her door.

_Oh hell. What the hell did I do to deserve this??? _

At this point, Hermione just wanted to get her want, point to her throat to say '_Silencio_', then do as much silent screaming as she wished. She twisted her face so it seemed like everything was fine, then opened the door saying, "What now Ron?!?!" making it clear that she didn't want to be disturbed. (She wished the place was rich enough to afford 'Do Not Disturb' signs… like the ones in Muggle hotels.)

"C-can I come in?"

"Yeah sure."

Her voice was friendly, but her smile was definitely fake.

"Hermione?"

"Mmhmm?"

"Err, well, this is sort of private… "

"Yes? What is it Ron? Is there anything wrong? Are you sick? Tell me."

Hermione suddenly started worrying. _Maybe Ron has some sort of sickness… And maybe he was going through pain all this time and that's why he's been acting so weird!!! Maybe it's an embarrassing sickness… But… Ginny told me that he was just fine… soo… What's wrong with him? _

Ron wringed his hands nervously.

And then… then it all came stuttering and spilling out before Ron had another chance to turn back and walk right out the door of Hermione room.

"No, I'm not sick… This may seem sort of weird but…I liked you ever since our third year, I was just too afraid to tell you. And I wanted to ask you w-will you g-go to… dinner with m-me?


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Ron couldn't believe his ears. Did he just confess to her that he liked her since the third year of Hogwarts? He blushed when he realized this and suddenly, he didn't feel so confident. _Oh shit, what did I just do?_ He stood there awkwardly, shuffling his foot while Hermione stared at him dumbly. He must have been too sudden with her. _Damnit, I should have asked her on a date, then built a relationship with her before telling her all this!!! FUCK._

"Wh-what???" Hermione blinked her eyes a couple times, "What did you just say??? I th-thought I heard…"

"Uhh… I th-think you heard right…"

What a stupid answer. _Why can't I think of any quick and funny comebacks???_

"Sure... I guess…" Hermione looked unsure, but that 'sure' was enough for him.

"R-really??? Y-you really… Like me too???" He knew he sounded a little eager… But he couldn't help it. Here was his one true love for three whole years, telling him that she would go on a date with him. It was the moment he'd been waiting for (excuse the corniness) for three years. _Three years._

Hermione shrugged.

"I mean… You asked… But-"

"Ok how about we go out for dinner tomorrow at mmmm… 7 o' clock at that fancy place just around the corner? I think it was called the "Lovely Swan", I'm not sure, I'll check. And I'll pick you up at a quarter to seven, k? Ok see ya then!!!"

And he practically skipped out the door before Hermione could get a single word out. But then, he started worrying. _Was I a little too sudden? A little too… eager? Oh no… Am I supposed to play it cool and aloof? Whatever happened to my image??? My pride??? …But oh god, she's just… So… cute and… and pretty… And now, she's mine!!! All mine!!! Ok, well not all mine… _yet.

* * *

Ron was pacing back and forth, from his bed to the door. He was nervous about his date with Hermione. Bed, door, bed, door, _Oh, what am I going to do???? Maybe she doesn't like me… But she's GOT to! She said yes!! _bed, door, bed, _Maybe she didn't hear me when I started saying the details about the date!!! What if the date is a total mess up??? Oh bloody hell, what if she doesn't like the food?!?!?! _door, bed, door, bed, door, bed, _What if I accidentally spill something? What if I don't make a good impression? What if…_ door, bed, door- WHAM THUMP.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHRRRRGHHH!!!!!!!!!"

"What the-?!?!"

Harry had just opened Ron's door after knocking about a million times. The "wham" was the door hitting Ron's head and the "thump" was Ron being thrown back onto the floor.

"Oh jeez!!! Ron, I'm so sorry!"

"Don't worry about it…"

Those were his last words before he blacked out.

* * *

After a while, Ron awoke and looked around, but he seemed to have developed a bad case of amnesia. _What the hell just happened? I feel like… shit. And why the hell does my head hurt so much? I don't remember anything…_

"Where am I?"

"Errr… You're in your room in Diagon Alley and I just kinda err… Knocked you out with the door…"

"Huh?" Ron was confused. Thoroughly confused.

"Errr…"

"Oh. Yeah!!!" Everything suddenly came rushing back to Ron.

"Look, uhh, I'm really sorry, mate," Harry said, he looked concerned for his friend.

"Oh that's ok, I was just about to go to you for advice anyway…"

"Oh really? That's what I came to you for!!!"

_What advice could Harry possibly need from ME???_

"Yeah err… Well, do you want to go first?"

"Oh no, that's ok, you can go ahead."

"What am I going to do with Hermione????"

"Wha-?"

Harry looked confused, and Ron grinned. Hermione probably didn't tell him yet. _I'm so lucky to have gotten Hermione… Blimey, now, I'm glad that I was so sudden with her. Now we don't have to worry about being awkward. I've already arranged everything… Well actually I just sort of…blurted it out…_

"I mean, I need help from you! I just asked Hermione out and she said-"

"Yes?"

The look upon Harry's face was purely of shock. Ron grinned.

"Aren't I lucky Harry? Tell me I'm lucky, because I've got my one crush for three whole years. THREE YEARS." Ron said happily, "and guess what she said?"

Harry shook his head, apparently still shocked.

"YES!!!!! Harry, she said yes!"

"Mmmhmm…"

After Harry had gotten through the aftershock of this news, he had helped Ron think out a plan for the date… how to act, how to talk, even how to dress. Thought the strange thing about it was that he was a bit distant. He didn't really sound like the real Harry, there was something… something new in his voice that Ron couldn't decipher. _Oh what the hell, maybe he's jealous of me. That I got a girl and he still hasn't after the whole Cho Change incident. _Ron felt a little uneasy, but Harry was his best mate, what do they have to hide from each other?

But then again, nothing could puncture his happiness at this point. _I think this is actually going to work… Like… Oh I can't believe I'm saying this… a-a fairytale. I can't believe this is happening… I mean, I waited for three years… I'd better not blow this… or I wouldn't know what to do with myself.

* * *

_

Ron woke up sweating, today was the big day!!! The date was today!! He was nervous, excited, anxious, surprised, and confused all at the same time. He still couldn't believe he _actually got a date with Hermione._ Well, miracles happen… _HOLD IT. Miracles??? _Ron thought to himself, _didn't she always like me? I mean, that's why she accepted the date in the first place, right?_ He lounged around the hotel room the rest of the day, practicing the plan.

The day whizzed by and it was finally a quarter 'til 7. Ron got up, changed into his 'casual' t-shirt and jeans. Then he went to Hermione's room. He could tell she wasn't ready yet, because when she opened the door, she was in her regular clothes (_Is she wearing that to the date??? _Ron thought, _maybe… maybe she didn't remember… But that can't be!!!_) and in one hand, she was holding an apple, which she was crunching noisily in her mouth. But Ron still thought she was the prettiest girl he'd ever laid eyes on…

"Oh! Sorry, didn't know you'd come that early!!! Err, well, I'll just be getting ready, make yourself comfortable."

"Oh no, that's ok, let's go."

"Are you sure? I mean, don't we need… more… formal clothes?"

"No, no, it's fine."

Ron took Hermione's hand and led her out the door. He took her down the street to an Italian restaurant that just opened. He grinned at the surprised look on her face. "I decided not to go to that stupid 'Lovely Swan' restaurant." He winked and opened the door for her. She grinned back.

They both ordered light meals because they weren't that hungry. Ron talked and they laughed. But it didn't seem like a romantic atmosphere. It was more like a friend to friend dinner. When they had eaten their fill, Ron paid the bill and went for a quiet walk along the streets of the already dark Diagon Alley.

_This is going perfectly… I think this is working!!! _Ron thought happily.

* * *

Ron was sweating, really badly, what if Hermione didn't want to kiss? What if he did something wrong that would change their relationship forever? _If I do something that we both regret forever… _Ron closed his eyes and took a deep breath. _Stop it. She went on the date with you, and now you're walking down the road, and it's the perfect time for a goodnight kiss. _He told himself.

"So err… how was your dinner?" he asked timidly.

"Oh, it was great," she sounded enthusiastic, and then she giggled.

"Oh, good, I was worried that you might not like the food," Ron said, laughing. _That giggle!!! She likes me… She's got to like me._

And they joked around, laughing like kids. Ron's heart was hammering against his chest. _Hermione's MINE. She's within my grasp… _They both stopped. "Ron…" Hermione whispered. It sent chills down his back. He took her hand, then brushed her hair back. She was beautiful; with her wavy brown hair, big chocolate eyes, it seemed like a dream… Ron leaned toward her, and to his surprise, she tilted a little toward him with closed eyes. He closed his eyes too, almost certain that he could hear Hermione's beating heart…


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Through his wizard binoculars, Harry saw it all. Ron and Hermione stopped. Ron was leaning toward her, liked they both planned. He prayed that Hermione would push him away. _Push him away, push him away!!! You don't want to kiss him… Do you? _Harry was ever so sure that Hermione just went out with him so she didn't hurt his feelings. Then, he saw, with horror, Hermione leaning toward Ron and closing her eyes… Harry ran, he ran like the wind, he ran like he had never run before. He didn't want to see it. He didn't want to see his one true crush give away her first kiss to his best friend Ron… Now, he knew that Hermione liked Ron and didn't like him. It was a horrible realization, but he knew it. And now what was he going to do? Go running back to Cho? Or just stay a bachelor forever?

_Wait… Did I just say BACHELOR?!?! Whoever the hell said you were planning to marry…?!?!?!? You asshole, you should have never wanted Hermione in the first place. She's just a bushy haired, buck teethed bitch… But… I still like her. It's the way that she makes me feel… It makes me feel something… It was the something that I felt when I first saw Cho… An aching… Deep in the bowels of my… heart. Or wherever the hell it is that I feel. _Then, he realized what he must do; he must go to Hermione and tell her his true feelings for her. Let _her _choose between Ron and him… And even thought it was clear to him who she liked… Well… He didn't even tell her about his feelings yet. It's impossible to bottle up such a burning passion… This passion that he used to push back, deny… but now, he couldn't deny it anymore. The feeling was way too strong, and it felt so… right.

He wished that Hermione would tell him that she liked him more than a friend. But… It just wasn't going to happen. _Don't dwell on things that aren't going to happen, don't waste your time on it, besides… things like that happen only in those stupid fairytale stories those girls read all the time…_

_I-I can't take this anymore,_ Harry sighed. _I… usually don't spy like this… It's just not right. _He picked up his book bag, and then started running back towards the Leaky Cauldron. But he heard footsteps behind him and was just able to see a flash of long, brown, curly hair. _Hermione!!! _He thought.

Just a seconds after he realized the person was Hermione, he heard a loud yell behind him, "_STUPEFY!!!!!_" After those words, he immediately put up his book bag and used it to shield himself. The spell hit it with such a force, that Harry almost lost his balance. He dropped the book bag and ran. He rounded the corner and hid in a store. Hermione ran right past the store.

Harry panted and turned around to see the confused storekeeper.

"Can I help you?" he asked, looking suspiciously at Harry.

"Uh, n-no, sorry," Harry stuttered, flattening his bangs nervously.

"Hey," the storekeeper squinted at Harry's forehead, "You aren't-"

"Have a nice day!!" Harry rushed out the door and closed it behind him. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Hermione and Ron were nowhere to be seen.

* * *

When Harry was safe in his room in the Leaky Cauldron, he started worrying. _Oh no… Hermione… has my book bag! And it's got all my homework and books in it!!! WITH MY FUCKING GODDAMN NAME!!!!!!! _Harry sighed. _One trouble after another… _

The only way to get it back was to sneak in Hermione's room while she was sleeping. He considered just saying "_Accio book bag_" but what would Hermione say when she saw the book bag flying towards Harry's room??

So at night, when Harry was certain that Hermione was asleep, he waited outside her door for a while to make sure that there was absolutely no noise behind the door, then he tried the door. As he expected, it was locked, "_Alohomora!_" he whispered. The locked clicked open and Harry entered the room. Hermione's soft, even breathing could be heard from the bed. Harry stood there for a while, staring at her sleeping figure. "I'm sorry…" he said softly. And he was.

_I guess I shouldn't have spied on them… But I couldn't help it… _Harry spied his book bag propped up on the wall next to the door. _Ah! Perfect. _Harry grinned. Hermione never has to know… That is… unless she already looked in the book bag. But she couldn't have, if she saw his name… then she would have come to his room to demand an explanation… He sneaked back to his room, and threw the book bag on the table. _God damnit. Now I need a new fucking book bag. _He would deal with that later…

* * *

There was a loud knock on Harry's door. He rubbed his eyes. Who would be at his door at this time of the day??? There was another impatient knock. He threw on some clothes, then stumbled to the door and opened it. There stood… _Hermione??? What? _Harry goggled at her.

"Wha? Hermyown do ya know wha time its is?" Harry said, leaning against the wall next to the door.

"Move."

Hermione pushed roughly past him, then slammed a transfiguration book on the ground.

"Explain."

"Mmm?"

"I said, explain," Hermione said, trying to stay calm, but her hands were shaking.

"Bu Hermyown-"

"No 'buts'. Now EXPLAIN. And if I have to say that one more time, I'll rip your head off."

"Mmmm."

Harry had no idea what Hermione would be talking about, he mussed his hair and rubbed his eyes. SMACK

Hermione smacked him with all her might, leaving a big red mark on his cheek.

"WAKE UP AND EXPLAIN, YOU PERVERTED _BASTARD!!!_" Hermione hissed loudly, emphasizing the last word strongly. That got Harry awake right away.

"Hermione!!! W-Why are you so mad? What's the problem?" Harry managed to sputter out from shock.

"You," she spat.

"Wh-What? How-?"

Hermione pointed a shaking finger at the transfiguration book on the ground. He picked it up and flipped through it.

"What?! Why do you have my new transfiguration book?" he exclaimed, thought he knew perfectly why she had it. _But I took the book bag away!_

"Don't lie to me Harry, I saw you run away last night and I double checked your name, making sure someone didn't forge it… I was so sure," she said softly, she nodded towards the book bag on the table, "I bet you took that from my room yesterday at night."

"How did you check? H-how do you know…?" Harry asked.

She pulled out the piece of paper from the second year that had Harry's signature on it. He took it.

"This is from…"

"Defense against the Dark Arts class, second year, twenty-seventh essay, Professor Lockhart," she recited.

"Wait, why do you have my twenty-seventh essay from the second year of Defense against the Dark Arts class?"

Hermione turned and walked towards the door, she yanked it open, then turned back to him, her eyes tear-filled and said, "Well why don't you take a wild guess?" Then, she left him to his thoughts.

* * *

_Ok, so you know that she called you a perverted bastard, you know why, but she doesn't know the truth. _Harry said to himself. _But you know perfectly well that you were spying on Hermione and Ron on their date, you ARE a perverted bastard. _He told himself. _ARE NOT!!! I didn't spy on them because I was perverted; I spied on them because I wanted to know whether or not they… kissed, so I could know if Hermione truly liked Ron. And she DIDN'T kiss him… Well that's because I interrupted them!!!_

Then, his thoughts flipped to Hermione's last words "Take a wild guess." If he wanted to take a wild _wild _guess, it would be that she like him secretly and just happened to sneak into the boys' dormitory and steal the worksheet. But that would be _too _wild… She probably took the essay to revise it, and just never had the chance to give it back. Lockhart never really cared if people handed in essays or not anyway… Harry quickly tip-toed to Ron's room.

"Hey! What's up Harry," Ron said in a falsely cheerful voice.

"Err… I'm ok… What's up with you?"

"I'm ok too!!! Why'd you come?"

"Err… To see how the date went."

"Umm… It was… ok…"

"What went wrong? You didn't-?"

"Well, no. We almost did before she ran away to stupefy some idiot…"

"Err… Ron?"

"Yeah?"

"That idiot was me."

But as soon as he said the words, he regretted it. Ron stood up and looked at him with a mixture of feelings. First shock, then confusion, and finally when he realized what Harry had done anger… red, hot anger.

"Get out."

"What???"

"I said, get out of my room."

"No hard feelings, Ron, I just-"

Ron glared at him, a look that clearly said "Get out NOW." He took out his wand and Harry took that as a sign that clearly told him that if he didn't get out… Ron would hex him. Harry quickly walked out the door and closed it quietly behind him.

He slowly walked back to his room. _Now you've done it. You've alienated both Hermione AND Ron. You ARE a fucking perverted bastard._ As he approached his room, he heard a loud squawk from inside the room, he quickly opened the door. Hedwig was at the window, screeching loudly. "Hedwig!!!" Harry cried; he let the snowy owl in and took the letter from its beak. It was a list of the materials he needed for the 6th year. School was going to start in 2 weeks.

* * *

In the next couple of weeks, nothing really happened to the Golden Trio. They were just too busy with school to worry about love. As usual, the teachers loaded them up with homework, and they were up until midnight doing homework. But even if they worked together, Ron and Hermione refused to speak to Harry. The weeks were miserable for him. His 2 best friends were dating and refused to speak to him because… because of some stupid mistake he made before school even started. Hermione seemed pretty happy with Ron although he hadn't seen her kiss him yet._ Well, if she doesn't like him... Then why is she still dating him???? _Harry thought to himself. _How do YOU know that she doesn't like him?!?!?_ Too true. He didn't exactly know if Hermione liked Ron or not, but she seemed a little weird when she was around both Ron and Harry.

It was 11:20 PM in the common room, and there was no one left in the room but them. They were all furiously scribbling words on parchments to form essays, and once in a while, one of them would take out his/her wand and wave it around a couple of times and mumbled some words. After some time, Harry cleared his throat. "Err, guys?" He was ignored. Hermione and Ron continued with their work. Harry continued, "Umm… I'm really sorry about-" Before he could finish, Hermione slammed her book.

"I'm going to bed," she announced, and then she walked off.

"Err… Well, I guess I'll go too," Ron said, and followed Hermione.

Harry sighed. Every time he tried talking to them, they would avoid him in any possible way. _I think I should tell Hermione about… my… love for her… I should confess, or this is never going to work out for me. We should let her choose between us… I think… She _does _seem happy with Ron. _He closed his book and stalked off to the boys' dormitory.

* * *

It was 6:00 a.m. when Harry awoke, with drops of cold sweat on his forehead. He just had a nightmare, but now that he was awake, he couldn't fully grasp what happened. It was something with… who was it again? He couldn't remember… just a shrill shivering voice calling 'Master'… but before he could do anything, he plunged into the waiting arms of sleep, and he was snoring into his pillow once again.

* * *

Harry was walking down the hallways of Hogwarts when suddenly, someone called his name, "Harry!!! Harry, wait up!!!" It was a girl's voice… He turned around to find Cho running after him.

"H-hey, " Harry said, a bit confused, for Cho had been avoiding him ever since their disastrous date.

"Hey, Harry, I was thinking… I think we should be friends again. It's no use… This ignoring game," Cho said, "I th-think that we should…"

"O-ok… Umm…" Harry was confused. _Why? Why this… so sudden…_

"Sorry, am I going too quickly for you?" Cho asked him, looking a bit nervous.

"N-no…"

He looked at his watch.

"L-look, I'd better go," Harry said, "My class is about to start."

"Ok…" Cho looked down, "C-can I talk to you afterwards?"

"Sure…" Harry said, _what could she possibly want to talk to me about?_

He hurried to his Transfiguration class, waiting impatiently for it to be over. Mrs. McGonagall droned on and on about how to turn their transfiguration books into dogs. She did so with Neville's, who yelped and knocked everything off his desk. After it was (finally) over, Harry rushed out the door to find Cho outside waiting for him.

"So… You needed to talk to me?" Harry asked.

"Y-yeah… L-look, I need your help," Cho said, she panted.

"D-do you want to take a walk?" _This is so awkward._

"Sure," Cho smiled at him.

They walked around the lake, chatting about school and the new DA teacher. They laughed and enjoyed their time together. Harry was actually having fun for the first time since school started. It was fun having a girl for a friend, though he had almost forgotten what it was like… Then, Cho confessed.

"Hey, Harry, I've been wanting to ask you this for a long time. I mean, you seemed like the perfect one…"

"Wh-what???" Harry was confused. Was Cho going to ask him what he thought she was going to ask…?

"Ok, I like this guy, and umm… I just can't get his attention!!! So… I thought going to a guy for help would… You know, be better than telling all my friends about him," she blurted.

Harry laughed. _Was that all?_

"Cho, I'm not that much of a matchmaker…" Harry said, grinning.

"Oh, but you're a boy, and you understand!!!" Cho pleaded.

"Ok… I'll try…" Harry couldn't believe that he was agreeing to this…

So, for the next week, Harry was meeting Cho all over the school, giving her advice on what to do with the guy, and what a guy likes in a girl (Harry had no trouble with that, given he still had strong feelings for Hermione…) He never thought that anyone would get the wrong impression about him and Cho. One day, when he and Cho walked past each other in the hallway, she stopped him, and pulled him away from his group of friends.

"Yeah?" Harry asked.

"Hey, I-I was just wondering… You've been helping me for such a long time… Do you need any help? I mean… don't you… hold someone special in your heart? Someone that you think about everyday…?"

"I- no," Harry said quickly. Cho didn't need to know about Hermione.

"It's Hermione isn't it?" Cho asked delicately.

"What? How'd you know?" Harry asked. _That's impossible…_

"I have my ways," Cho smiled at him knowingly, and winked, "So, I'll see you later, k?"

When Harry rejoined his small group of friends, they all whistled.

"Who's that pretty 7th year?" Seamus asked him.

"She my friend," Harry replied truthfully.

"Not anything more?" Dean pressed.

"No," Harry said firmly, signaling the end of the conversation.

His friends all laughed. As they did, Harry caught Ron's eye. He was at the door of their Charms classroom. Ron looked at him weirdly, then disappeared inside the Charms room.

* * *

Harry slouched off to his next class, Potions with Professor Snape. His 2 "best friends" weren't talking to him. In fact, nobody was talking to him much. Even his enemy Malfoy was sick at the Hospital Wing. He "somehow" got a nasty green bite from Hagrid's dog, Fang. Harry figured he was playing around with some dangerous animals and was blaming it all on Hagrid's dog. Speaking of Hagrid… Harry hadn't heard from Hagrid in a couple of weeks. He tried visiting Hagrid a couple of weeks ago, but with no luck, the door was locked and it seemed there was no one in the house. He tried again later, but still no luck. He didn't exactly want to disrupt him by doing an Alohomora spell either…

"Hey Harry!!! Wait up!!!" A voice called from somewhere behind him.

"What is it Colin?" Harry turned around expecting to find Colin Creevey standing behind him with his camera, jumping up and down. But instead, he saw-

"Hermione?"

"Yeah, hey Harry?"

Harry was confused, why would she all of a sudden talk to him?

"What?"

"Umm… Never mind."

Then, she ran off again before Harry could utter another word. _What was she going to ask? And why was it so urgent? _Harry wondered. But most importantly, _What could have driven her to all of a sudden talk to me?_ But he had to set all his questions aside, for he saw something else that completely shocked him. Ron was talking to Cho!!! _No, he's not talking to Cho, he's FLIRTING with Cho!!! _But Cho didn't seem too happy about Ron talking to her, and she was trying to scoot away from him. Harry grinned. _Does Hermione know about this? If she doesn't… _Maybe Hermione and Ron broke up or something… It was confusing, but Harry thought it to be sort of funny. And he was sort of happy too. That left Hermione free for him to take!!! He turned away from Ron and Cho and walked happily to Charms.

* * *

"_Hmm… So the little red-head has got some evil in him too," the Lord cackled._

_"H-how so my Lord?" a trembling voice asked._

_"My dear Pettigrew, one's head cannot get any thicker than yours. Can you not see? The red-head wants revenge. He's doing quite well, I see, but Potter isn't paying much attention to him…"_

_"M-my Lord, if P-potter isn't paying attention t-to him, then doesn't that mean the r-red-head isn't doing so well?"_

_"SILENCE!!!"_

_Pettigrew stepped back in fear shaking and trembling even more than before._

_"Do NOT deny the fact that I'm right. You shall RESPECT me. The red-head isn't quite smart in his plan. I see many flaws in it. But he has carried it out well. We may need him for later."_

_"Y-you mean you w-want me to go f-fetch him?"_

_"Not now, Pettigrew. We'll wait until the time is right."_

Harry awoke eyes wide open. It was the dream again!!! It was clearer now. His Oculemens lessons obviously didn't help much… But this time, he felt that this was something important… Something he would want to know. But the dream always slipped away when he woke up. It was something with a revenge plan and a red-head…


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Hermione Granger was walking down the halls of Hogwarts thinking about Harry Potter AGAIN. She had been drifting off in class thinking about him, and now, she was still thinking of him, thinking of him without even thinking. He had tried to talk to them many times, but she had always found an excuse to avoid him. She was still thinking of what to do with him, and didn't want to talk to him. She was still a little upset with him about the time he spied on them, but now, she had new things to think about. He was beginning to talk to Cho Chang again. She would often see them talking in the halls, then she would see Cho Chang with another tall, handsome (_waait a minute, who am I calling handsome??? I thought I was RON'S girlfriend_)guy. She must have been cheating on Harry… But Hermione dared not tell Harry for fear that he would think she had something against his girlfriend. _At least, I think she's his girlfriend…_

Hermione continued to date Ron even if she didn't like it. She still hadn't thought of a way to break up with him without hurting his feelings. Her classes went by very quickly, and before she knew it, she was in bed, still thinking about Harry.

The next day, she woke up drowsily; she hadn't had a very good night's sleep because she stayed up all night thinking about what to do in this very confusing situation, but she hadn't decided what to do. _Ok, so it's either tell Ron you don't like him more than a friend, and break up with him, or… tell Ron you don't like him more than a friend, and break up with him. Well, that's not much of a choice. _She sighed, it's wasn't very easy to face your best friend (whom you're dating) and tell him you don't like him more than a friend, then break the relationship… along with his heart… She didn't have the guts. _Or, I could wait for a miracle to happen…

* * *

_

Hermione looked up to see Seamus Finnigan running towards her.

"Hey, err Hermione! Are you umm… Going with anybody to the ball?" He asked breathlessly.

"Oh, hey Seamus!"

"Yeah… Listen, I've been thinking about it for a couple of days now, and I'm done thinking, I figured… I've been watching you for a long time now Hermione."

"Um…"

_Well this is awkward. _He obviously didn't know that she was dating Ron. But why would he all of a sudden ask her to the ball? Seamus never seemed to be a part of her life. All she knew was that he was in the same dormitory with Harry. He might like her, but for Hermione, he was just another obstacle she had to pass to get to Harry.

"Sorry Seamus… I-I'm going with someone already…"

"Oh…" Seamus looked crestfallen. "With who??"

"Err… I-"

The bell suddenly rang and they both had go separate ways to their own classes. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief; that was a close one. _Saved by the bell. _She sat down at her table in Charms class and massaged her temples. _Since when did Seamus start taking interest to me?!?!?! _But she smiled. _In the first year, I didn't have any friends, but now I've got 2 boys chasing after me. _She thought. _Well… Maybe not chasing… But all the same… _She put her head on the desk.

"Ms Granger? Are you feeling all right? You seem tired, maybe you should rest in a while, go back to your common room."

"No I musn't-"

"I insist. You're ahead in the class anyway."

She looked apologetically Ron (he was sitting next to her) and packed up. She gratefully ran to the common room and plopped down on the armchair near the fireplace.

Ok, so, her best friend is in love with her, and now she's dating him, but she likes her OTHER best friend who probably doesn't know her love for him exists. Then, another random boy decides to pop in and ask her to the ball which takes place _TOMORROW_. She rubbed her forehead furiously. What was wrong with these boys? She really couldn't understand them. Can't she just live happily ever after with Harry?! Like a fairy tale story? Why can't life be like a fairy tale story? But no, life pulls her back down to reality before she has a chance to dream.

_I mean… The first date with Ron actually went pretty well… I mean he made me feel as if… this was the one guy that I wanted to be with… And that feeling tugged me towards him… I'm actually a little glad that Harry interrupted our date… Or… or Ron would have taken my first kiss… _She shuddered at the thought. _But why did you accept that date? Moreover… why the hell are you STILL dating that fuckhead???_

At this point, Hermione had to do some serious thinking. If she broke up with him now, he'd be completely disappointed, and their friendship will probably fall apart forever… If she kept him for a while… then he'd probably grow closer to her… and… and she'd still have to make the I-don't-think-we're-the-right-ones-for-eachother-but-we-can-still-be-friends speech… Well, then their friendship will still probably fall apart forever… But, what could she say? It's not like a simple year of dating will hurt right? Maybe… maybe after this year… Ron will realize that Hermione is not the right girl for him… And then he'll break up with her and… _Oh fuck it, what can a little dating do to the friendship that we've been building for oh… Some 5 years??? Besides, Ron's one of my closer friends…_

And the ball situation… why did they have to have a ball this year? Things were already too confusing for her. Hermione tried to talk to Harry about the ball that was coming up. She was going to ask him if he had a date to the ball yet. The ball was sort of like the Yule Ball, but it was just Hogwarts students. In fact, it was ALL Hogwarts students. And it WASN'T optional, which was kind of weird. Hermione heard about it from some of the girls that were gathered around the common room talking excitedly. She must have dozed off during the announcement. If she did ask him, it would be sort of awkward. He would be all "Aren't you going with Ron?" and "Are you still mad at me?" and all that crap. So she decided to hold off on the question. _My love life is fucked up, _was the last thing she thought before she fell asleep on her bed.

* * *

Putting up with Ron was not as easy as Hermione thought. He kept scooting up to her when they sat together in the common room, so she kept scooting away. Hermione didn't give Ron a chance to ask her to the ball yet. She really needed to talk to Harry, but she was a little afraid… 

Hermione's many classes were stressing her out, and she needed someone to comfort her, hold her with love… _I need Harry… Really…

* * *

_

Hermione walked down the stairs the next day, on her way to breakfast. She peered into the Great Hall and saw Ron. He was holding a vial full of clear liquid. She watched him curiously, wondering what the clear liquid was. She saw him look around the room, making sure nobody was watching. He took a goblet and poured half of it into a goblet full of water. She frowned, then pranced to the table as if she didn't see any of it.

"Good morning, Hermione!" Ron said cheerfully.

"'Morning, Ron."

"Need some water?" Ron asked her, looking at her carefully. He held the goblet with the liquid in it and offered to her.

"N-no… I'm not thirsty," Hermione said, pushing it away. _What the hell is in that goblet??? Is that asshole trying to poison me or something?_

"I insist!" Ron said smiling.

"Ok, you win," Hermione said, plastering on a fake grin, she took the goblet, and pretending to take a big gulp from it, not letting the liquid enter her mouth.

Ron looked satisfied.

She quickly gobbled down her breakfast and picked up her bag to leave.

"Why are you in such a hurry Hermione?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Going to the library," she replied briskly.

Hermione ran off.

* * *

Hermione's heart was beating very fast. It was 10 minutes until 7'o clock p.m. (when the ball would start) and she was in a twinkling midnight blue dress that matched her hair clips. Her hair had been straightened and tied up into a bun at the back of her head. She was even more magnificent than she was at the Yule ball. _But there's no use in dressing up. I don't even know who I'm trying to impress, I don't even have a date!!! What will I tell Seamus when he sees me without a date?!?!?!?! _She thought frantically. But she had no choice. The ball wasn't optional, she was forced to go, so might as well make a good appearance. 

Hermione walked down to the Great Hall to find hundreds of other people. Everything was colorful and twinkling. The girls were wearing beautiful dresses while the guys (most of them at least) were wearing tuxes (dress robes were optional). Soft music was playing, and most people were dancing. There was no sign of Ron or Harry. She walked to the refreshments table.

She stayed there for a while, but then a voice whispered her name in her ear. "Hermione." She tensed, and whirled around, and when she saw Harry, she relaxed.

"Oh, it's you."

"Hey, care to dance?"

Harry held out his hand for her to take. Hermione was shocked. _Is my one love asking me to DANCE? _Hermione wanted to take that hand so badly and twirl across the Great Hall with her one love, but she wasn't the type to cheat. Ron was supposed to be her official boyfriend, and Harry knew that, so why was he asking her to dance with him?

"Harry, I c-can't."

"Why not?"

"You know… Ron is my b-boyfrie-"

"Oh?"

"Well, don't you know that?" She demanded, starting to get angry at him, why was he teasing her? _I knew he wasn't any good. I don't even know why he's in the center of my mind 24/7. This is fucking stupid._

"Then why is your so called boyfriend dancing with Cho Chang?"

"What??? Ron would never do that!" _Or would he? Why would Harry lie about something like this anyway?_

"I can show you."

"Fine."

Harry took her by the hand and went to find Ron. It wasn't hard. Cho was probably the only one wearing a bright red dress. When Harry found them, they were holding hands and looking into each other's eyes. Hermione's eyes grew wide at the scene. She grasped Harry's hands before Ron could see them and pulled him away.

"Oh, my-"

"I know this may seem a shock to you but…"

There was an awkward pause.

"Yes?" Hermione breathed, her heart pounding in her chest.

"I-I-….. Will you dance with me?" He blurted out.

She looked at Harry weirdly.

"That's ok if you don't want to, I…"

"Oh, no! I would love to!"

And so, they danced. They twirled gracefully across the Great Hall, the stars shining above their heads. It was just like they envisioned. Their bodies moved in rhythm to the soft music. They swayed back and forth. Hermione's dress swayed with her, covering their feet. She looked at Harry, ignoring the people around them staring. Harry looked back at her, smiling a smile that warmed her and made her forget about everything. That smile…

After the song ended, they both stopped abruptly, Harry looked into Hermione's chocolate eyes, and Hermione looked into his green ones. G_od, they're beautiful… _She thought. _I can't believe this is happening…_

"Do you want to go outside? Get some fresh air?" Harry asked her.

"Sure…" Hermione said, smiling.

They walked outside into the cool, night air. _Wow… This is so amazing. _She thought. _D-does… could Harry possibly like me too?_

"Hermione," Harry said.

"Yes?" she breathed.

"I-I know this might be a little too sudden… I don't know what came over me, but that day that we met in Gringotts… I realized… I think… I-I love you."

Hermione stared into Harry's eyes. _Is this a trick?_ It can't be. Her heart swelled. She had been waiting for so long… "H-harry…" she murmured.

Harry leaned towards her, placing his hands on her back. Her hands came up around his neck…

"What the FUCK?! A voice interrupted the romantic atmosphere, and both Harry and Hermione pulled apart quickly and spun around to see a very ruffled Ron.

"And I thought you were my friend, Harry! Y-y, are you trying to steal my girlfriend?!?!?!" Ron yelled, stuttering. The Hogwarts garden was deadly quiet. Harry and Hermione stood there, gaping, but Hermione came to her senses first. She walked swiftly towards Ron, and whispered into his ear: "In the Gryffindor common room, _now_."

She quickly rushed back to the Great Hall, leaving Harry and Ron in the garden.

* * *

Author's Note:

OMG. Finally done uploading. XD 5 chapter in one day... lol. Yeah, I wrote this quite a while ago, but I dropped it after my laptop went kapoops. Until I got a new one. But I never really started up again. Anyway, I don't want to leave the story, maybe just a short hiatus... I'll get back to it after I finish my EXTREMELY EXTREMELY LONG Inuyasha fanfic. XD lawl. okies. so, that's it. But constructive criticism would be welcome for what I HAVE done, and also, remember to R&R.

Thankoooos..


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